KARACHI, Oct 4: Chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Altaf Hussain has condemned terrorists’ attack on a van carrying Suparco employees on Friday and expressed his sorrow over the death of six persons in the incident.
In his statement, Mr Hussain said that the act of terrorism was a part of the conspiracy to destroy the peace and trigger off sectarian violence in Karachi and cause failure of the elected government in Sindh. He made an impassioned appeal to the followers of all schools of thought to foil the conspiracy. He also offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and sympathies to those injured in the attack. He prayed for the early recovery of the survivors of the attack.
The Muttahida’s ad-hoc committee, condemning the incident, hasdemanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment to the culprits of the terrorist attack.
Mohajir Qaumi Movement has also condemned the attack. Chief of the movement Afaq Ahmad said on Saturday that the plot to divide Mohajirs by embroiling them in sectarianism was being implemented this way.
Calling for unity among Mohajirs, he said this was the only way to foil the nefarious designs of those trying to divide them on different grounds. He regretted that innocent people had to pay the price of the “rulers’ strategy”.
He deplored that while Pakistan had been made to act as the frontline state in the alliance against terrorism, its economic vein — Karachi — had fallen victim of terrorism.
PPP: Pakistan People’s Party on Saturday condemned the killing of six worshippers in an attack on Suparco bus on Friday and claimed that sectarian violence in the country was a direct by-product of the patronage that had been accorded to extremist elements by agencies over a very long period.
A party spokesman said that the people of Pakistan belonging to all religions and sects continued to live side by side in harmony and fraternity and that they denounced sectarianism individually and collectively.
He accused the agencies who, in order to achieve their objectives in neighbouring countries, took advantage of a handful of people’s backwardness and poverty.
Killing of followers of to other religions and sects is promoted as ‘holy jihad’ and misguided lashkars of ignorant and intolerant people are prepared by playing upon their religious sentiments, according to the spokesman.
He alleged that state institutions knew about the murderers since such element had been receiving economic and political patronage besides lethal arms from the state.
“What stops the government from taking action if, in a press statement, a government Senator accuses that the terrorists, got released by an MNA on treasury side, were responsible for restarting sectarian violence?”
The PPP spokesman said that distributing cheques among the bereaved families could not solve the problem. Appeals for sectarian harmony are mere attempts to shift the blame to the people who themselves are the victims.
There is complete harmony at the level of people but the state is encouraging sectarian violence by not acting firmly against the killers because such elements are the old colleagues of those sitting in the government, he observed.
The spokesman said that it was not at all difficult for the state to keep an eye on extremist elements and to pre-empt any action that they may be planning. It becomes all the more easier when actions against sectarian killers have unqualified support of the entire people. But if the top priority of the government remains stopping democratic leadership and forces and the government enlists the political support of all dubious elements in order to save itself from falling, then the situation will go from bad to worse.
He alleged that the government was nothing but a coalition of those chasing their vested interests and giving political support to usurpers, for protection from law in return.
According to the spokesman, one part of the coalition is denying people their political and economic rights and pocketing the national resources whereas the other is killing namazis in broad daylight. The only way out is to get rid of this coalition through a peaceful movement.
